Billiard-table attachment



(No Model.)

P T. KAVANAGH.

BILLI'ARD TABLE ATTACHMENT.

No. 462,843. PatentedNov. l0, 1891.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER T. IIAVANAGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BILLIARD-TABLE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION form-ing part of Letters Patent No. 462,843, dated November lO, 1891.

Application filed June 25, 1891. Serial No. 397,430. (No modeLl To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER T. KAVANAGH, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Billiard-Table Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide, as an additional feature for a billiard-table, preferably, but not essentially, in the form of a separable and adjustable attachment, a set of contacts or projections in the form of knobs, buttons, handles, or the like 'exposed at the inner side of a billiard-table cushion in position to be struck by the balls rolled on the table, and controlling characters which, for want of a better term,I call counters, such as numbers, figures or representations of figures, designs, or the like, actuated by the stroke of the balls against the contacts to produce an indicative representation.

My improvement is designed either to afford means for amplifying and adding zest to the usual game of billiards, or for enabling different games to be played on a billiard-table, in which a cushion is provided with a contact adapted to engage and release a counter and to be touched to effect such release by a rolling billiard-ball on thc table, particularly games resembling those known as pigeonhole and pool,7 with the advantage, however, that with myimproved attachment any ordinary billiard-table may be used, thus dispensing with the requirement of the openings and return-run under the table for the former and the pockets for the latter.

The preferred form of my improvement that of an attachment adapted to be applied to and removed from a billiard-table at will, and involving a supplemental cushion to lit accurately against the ordinary cushion at one end of the table, and containing springcontrolled push-button devices exposed to contact of the balls rolled on the table, and a case fastened on the supplemental cushion and having vertical numbered or otherwise designated slides normally engaged by the push-button devices and released by striking them with the billiard-balls.

The foregoing generally-stated construction of my improvement is desirable by reason of its effectiveness in operation and convenience of use, and, furthermore, because the case may be made to afford an extent of exposed surface beyond that required for the attachment proper, which may be utilized for displaying advertising cards and other advertising matter. I wish it to be clearly understood, however, that it is my intention to claim my improvement broadly enough to cover any analogous appliance on or attachment for a billiard-table, and that the details of construction hereinafter described, and the drawings illustrating them, present only one form of my improvement, subject to various changing without departure from my invention, which consists, in its broadest sense, in providing a billiard-table cushion with one or more contacts controlling one or more objects actuated by the balls striking the con tacts to produce indicative representations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a billiard-table provided with my improved attachment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the same, the section being taken at the line 2 on Fig. l and viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direct-ion of the arrow. Fig. 4f is a broken view in rear elevation. of the case with the back removed to display the interior mechanism. Fig. 5 is a broken transverse section taken through the supplemental cushion, showing the pushbutton mechanism and indicating the manner of performing its function.

A is a billiard-table cushion of the form in cross-section illustrated in Fig. 2, whereby it is adapted to fit against the cushion C at either end of a billiard-table B, the length of the supplemental cushion A being such as to cause itto fit between the side cushions D of the table, and its ends being, of course, suitably beveled to conform to the transverse bevel of the under sides of the side cushions. At intervals along the inner upper edge of the cushion A, at points where they may be strucl; by the balls played with on the table, are contacts E, preferably in the form of spring-controlled push-button devices, each comprising a button r on a push-rod extending horizontally into a recess qbelow the up- IOO per surface of the supplemental cushion, being controlled by a spring o, elastically to hold the button normally out in position to adapt it to be forced inward when struck by a ball, and carrying a hook p, projecting through the upper surface of the cushion. Immediately in front of the hook p is a rigid guard n on the upper surface of the cushion A, presenting its convex face to the end of the hook.

F is the case, shown asof rectangular form and of the length of the width of the table B, being secured at its lower edge on the cushion A to extend longitudinally thereof. The case is formed with a series of vertical rectangular openings m, afforded by strips Z, grooved. along their edges to afford guideways for vertically-sliding panels 7c, each about half the length of the opening m it occupies, the lower half or thereabout of the series of said openings being covered by a plate t', extending i to it a spring g, (preferably a rubber band,)`

across the front side of the case. A catch h is secured to the rear side of each panel 7c to project beyond the lower edge of the same in Vertical line with a hook p, and has fastened secured to a stationary part of the case, as by fastening its opposite ends to adjacent strips l, to exert Without tendency to binding a resilient strain upon the panel when held down in its normal position by engagement of its catch h by the respective spring controlled hook p. Each catch h has a handle 7L', proj ecting backward from its upper end through a slotfin aback e, hinged to the rear side of the case, thev handle aifording means for setting each panel to cause it to be held down by its catch p.

As will be understood from the foregoing detailed description of the mechanism, the normal positions of the panels k is down under cover of the plate c', vbeing there set by forcing them against the resistance of their controlling-springs g to engage the springhooks p with their catches h. The panels are provided with distinguishing characters, such as the numbers displayed on their faces, and the sum of which may, as shown, equal one hundred, which may be the game. As the numbers on the -panels are hidden from view when the panels are set, as described, they should be .duplicated at the base of the case adjacent to the buttons fr', so that the player may select the number at which -to direct his play. On striking a button r with a billiard-ball, as by caroming it on another ball, the force of the stroke will push the rod q inward against its spring 0 far enough to release the catch 7L of a panel, which will then be raised into view by the resilient action of its controlling-spring g,the button being meantime returned to its normal position by the recoil of its controlling-spring o.

No attempt is herein made to explain the details of any game involving the striking of the push-button devices with the balls and the counting of the numbers on the panels thereby released, as the use of my improvement is not limited. to any particular variety of the game of billiards.

It is to be borne in mind that the cushion provided with the push-button or analogous devices is not necessarily asupplemental one, but may be one of the permanent cushions of the table without departing from my invention, and also that the devices actuated to display the result of a playneed not be the panels k illustrated, nor even in a case I?, but may be otherwise connected with the cushion, the term attachment employed in the title of my improvement being intended to include an addition to a billiard-table and not to be limited to a separable and adjustable apparatus.

What I claim as. new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with a billiard-table, a contact mounted on a cushion and extending at the face thereof in position to be touched by a rolling billiard-ball on the table, and a counter normally engaged by the said contact and actuated by striking the latter, substany tially as described.

2. In a billiard-table attachment, the combinationof a supplemental cushion adjustable against a permanent cushion on a billiard-table and carrying a contact adapted to be touched by a rolling billiard-ball on the table when the supplemental cushion is adjusted in operative position, and a counter normally engaged by the said contact and actuated by striking the latter, substantially as described.

TOO

3. In combination with a billiard-table, a set of spring-controlled contacts on a cushion and adapted to be touched by a rolling billiard-ball on the table, and a set of springcontrolled counters normally engaged by the said contacts and released therefrom bystrikin g the contacts, substantially as described.

4:. In a billiard-table attachment, the combination of a supplemental cushion adjustable against a permanent cushion of a billiard-table and carrying a set of spring-controlled contacts adapted to be touched by a rolling billiard-ball on the table When the supplemental cushion is adjusted in operative position, and a set of spring-controlled counters normally engaged by the said contacts and released therefrom by striking the contacts, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a billiard-table, a set of spring-controlled contacts on a cushion and adapted to be touched by a rolling billiard-ball on the table, hooks on the contacts, and a case supported on the cushion and carrying springcontrolled verticallymovable counters provided with catches to be engaged by the said hooks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a billiard-table attachment, the combination of a supplemental cushion adjustable against a permanent cushion ona billiard-table and carrying a set of spring-con- IIO A purpose set forth.

7. A billiard-table attachment comprising, in combination, a cushion carrying` springoontrolied contacts E, having hooks p, and a Case F, supported on the cushion and provided With vertically-sliding spring-controlled panels 7a, having catches 7L to be engaged by the said hooks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8,. In Combination with a billiard-table, an attachment; comprising a supp1en1enta1cushion C, carrying spring-controlled numbered contacts E, having hooks p, and a oase F, provided with vertically sliding spring oontrolled numbered panels k, carrying catches 7L to be engaged by the said hooks, substaniially as and for the purpose set forth.

PETER T. KAVANAGH.

In presence 0- n J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FROST. 

